Green Leader Proposes Three-Year Limit on Rent Rises
Zack Polanski called for a three-year emergency brake on private rents in his leader's speech to the Green Party's Autumn conference.
The speech was delivered at 13:30 on Friday 2 October 2026 at the Brighton Centre and published in full by the party. Day two of the conference followed in Brighton on 3 Oct 2026, with the party's deputy leaders due to address members, according to the Guardian.
The core proposal would cap annual private rent rises at wage growth or 2%, whichever is lower, for three years. Like a speed limit for rents, it would set a maximum yearly increase. Polanski framed it as an emergency step, not a permanent control. The formula ties allowed rises to earnings, meaning how pay is growing, rather than to headline inflation alone.
Alongside the temporary brake, Polanski proposed a long-term national Fair Rents Guarantee to keep rents affordable. Details on enforcement and geographic scope were not set out in the verified conference material. The guarantee was presented as the system that would follow once the three-year brake expires.
Polanski has raised rent before. On 18 March 2026, he laid out plans including rent controls to end "rip-off rents" alongside water renationalisation. The October speech sharpens that pledge into a time-limited cap plus a named permanent framework.
Cost of living formed the backdrop to the conference. The Guardian's 3 Oct 2026 UK politics live blog reported cost-of-living issues were top of mind as diesel surged past £2 a litre for the first time. Polanski has centred that ground before. On 28 July 2026, he joined calls for banks making 'eye-watering' profits to help families with the cost of living. On 8 June 2026, he warned the food system is "close to collapse", with UK fruit and vegetable prices projected to rise 170% by 2050.
BBC News ran live coverage of the conference speech centred on the three-year cap on private rent rises. Ahead of the speech, Polanski was expected to urge the government to prevent private rents from rising, according to BBC.
Polanski also set out election aims. He has said he wants the Green Party to win at least 30 seats, possibly up to 50, in Britain's 650-seat parliament. He appeared at a press conference in Manchester after Hannah Spencer won a by-election in a northwest constituency in February 2026, a result cited by Reuters at the time.
On Labour, Polanski said the Greens can move Labour in the right direction. He criticised Labour for "slogans without action" on the cost of living. On pensions, he asked why the government was going after pensioners instead of taxing the rich. That was in response to plans to unwind the triple-lock state pension pledge, the rule that sets how the state pension rises each year. Burnham has said he is not tempted to call an early election.
On migration, Polanski said the party would "always support fair and managed migration."
The broader context here is a small party trying to convert protest energy into parliamentary leverage. A rent brake is clear and easy to measure. It is aimed at younger private renters in urban seats where Greens compete with Labour. It sidesteps harder fiscal questions around housebuilding and housing benefit. The practical test is delivery. Caps linked to wage growth need reliable local pay data, rules to stop avoidance on new lets and re-lets, and a tribunal or regulator that can act fast.
Looking at what this means for Westminster, the strategy is pressure rather than power. With a stated target of 30 to 50 seats, the Greens cannot legislate alone. The proposal works as a negotiating demand and a challenge on cost-of-living credibility. Labour can adopt, adapt or reject it, but it must answer it in constituencies where rent levels decide elections.
